THE RACE: 2007 SAM’S TOWN 250 – MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK
Busch Series Race #32 of 35 for the 2007 season
- Race: 3:30pm/et, Saturday, October 27, 2007 in Millington, TN
- Length: 250 Laps, 187.5 miles
- TV: ESPN2 – 3:00pm/et
- Radio: MRN
- Purse: $1,302,0756
- Announcers: Jerry Punch, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree
- Pit Reporters: Allen Bestwick, Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro
Practice Dates/Times
- Practice: Friday, October 26, 3:00-4:00pm/et & 5:00-6:00pm/et, Rookie practice, 4:30-5:00pm/et
Qualifying Info
- Qualifying Draw: Friday, October 26, 2:00pm/et
- Qualifying Time: Saturday, October 27, 10:35am/et
- Qualifying: 2 laps for all positions, cars will be impounded.
- NASCAR Online will have live lap-by-lap coverage of Busch qualifying via the web (NOTE: this is a paid subscription service). TheHotLap.com has free qualifying coverage.
Goodyear Tire Notes
Busch Series — Race No. 32 — Sam’s Town 250
Memphis Motorsports Park (0.75-mile oval) — Memphis, Tenn.
Fast Facts for October 26-27, 2007
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Intermediate Radials
Number of Tires: Left-side — 625; Right-side — 625
Tire Codes: Left-side — D-4104; Right-side — D-4106
Tire Circumference: Left-side — 87.4 in.; Right-side — 88.6 in.
Technical Inspection Inflation: Left Front — 20 psi; Left Rear — 20 psi; Right Front — 30 psi; Right Rear — 30 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front — 14 psi; Left Rear — 12 psi; Right Front — 27 psi; Right Rear — 24 psi
Estimated Pit Window: Every 110-120 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Notes: This is the most popular specific combination of left- and right-side tires that Goodyear will bring to the track for teams in the Busch Series this season . . . this will be the eighth of nine races that teams in this series will run this combination in 2007 . . . in addition to Memphis, Busch Series teams will run this tire setup at Phoenix (twice), Richmond (twice), Milwaukee, New Hampshire, Gateway and Indianapolis Raceway Park this season . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Memphis.(Goodyear PR)(10-26-2007)
ENTRY, PRACTICE, QUALIFYING, AND RACE INFORMATION
- Reutimann Wins at Memphis: #99-David Reutimann dominated a crash-filled race and survived a green-white-checker finish at Memphis to win the Sam’s Town 250 for his first career Busch Series win. #22-Mike Bliss finished second followed by #6-David Ragan, #59-Marcos Ambrose, #38-Jason Leffler, #29-Scott Wimmer, #26-Jamie McMurray, #11-Jason Keller, #88-Brad Keselowski, and #49-Brian Keselowski. Points leader #60-Carl Edwards was caught in a spin on the last lap and finished 25th. He did not clinch the championship. The race was slowed by a season high and race record 25 cautions for 117 laps. There were 6 leaders with 9 lead changes.(10-27-2007)
NASCAR Race Number 32
Unofficial Race Results for the Sam’s Town 250 – Saturday, October 27, 2007
Memphis Motorsports Park – Memphis, TN – .75 Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 253 Laps – 189.75 Miles – Purse: $1,302,075Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Total Award Status Times Laps 1 2 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 253 195 10 $74,145 Running 3 194 2 16 22 Mike Bliss SuperCuts Dodge 253 175 5 $46,890 Running 1 1 3 26 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford 253 165 $36,400 Running 4 1 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Bush’s Ford 253 165 5 $43,665 Running 1 20 5 4 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips/Comcast Toyota 253 155 $33,840 Running 6 12 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy 253 150 $34,490 Running 7 14 26 Jamie McMurray Dish Network Ford 253 146 $21,550 Running 8 5 11 Jason Keller InvestLinc Chevy 253 147 5 $24,840 Running 2 7 9 25 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 253 138 $26,065 Running 10 36 49 Brian Keselowski Halloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 253 134 $21,850 Running 11 10 20 J.J. Yeley FedEx Express Chevy 253 130 $25,000 Running 12 18 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 253 132 5 $25,440 Running 1 27 13 11 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 253 124 $25,690 Running 14 17 47 Kelly Bires Clorox/American Red Cross Ford 253 121 $21,125 Running 15 30 56 Danny O’Quinn Jr. Power Equipment Chevy 253 118 $19,725 Running 16 37 21 Tim McCreadie AutoZone Chevy 253 115 $26,325 Running 17 27 71 Ron Young Chevy 253 117 5 $18,700 Running 1 4 18 22 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 253 109 $20,550 Running 19 9 30 Stanton Barrett Phytter Phone/Interush Chevy 253 106 $18,725 Running 20 20 5 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 253 103 $21,275 Running 21 32 10 Brent Sherman Fan1st.com Toyota 253 100 $24,240 Running 22 33 05 Brett Rowe Spectra Metals/31-W Insulation 253 97 $18,050 Running 23 24 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 253 94 $20,275 Running 24 38 9 Chase Miller Dodge Dealers Dodge 253 91 $25,300 Running 25 39 60 Carl Edwards Scott’s Winterguard Ford 253 88 $24,375 Running 26 7 1 Sterling Marlin Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 253 85 $19,680 Running 27 41 37 John Graham Kick Butt Energy Ballz/GNC Ford 253 82 $19,625 Running 28 34 0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 253 79 $17,580 Running 29 19 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 252 76 $25,045 Running 30 15 16 Colin Braun 3M Ford 252 73 $25,260 Running 31 42 28 Robert Richardson Jr. # Checkers/Rally’s/U.S. Border Patrol 251 70 $17,675 Running 32 3 42 Dario Franchitti Target Dodge 250 67 $25,940 Running 33 6 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 240 64 $22,290 Running 34 35 27 Brad Baker Viva Ford 239 61 $19,370 Running 35 13 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 234 58 $22,220 Parked 36 8 43 Bobby East Kick Butt Amped Energy Ballz Ford 224 55 $17,300 Engine 37 28 77 Brandon Miller Dollar General Chevy 190 52 $24,760 Accident 38 23 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 190 49 $22,090 Running 39 31 40 Matt Carter Milio’s Sandwiches Delivers Ford 129 46 $17,170 Accident 40 40 36 Jeremy Clements St. Judes Children’s Hospital 100 43 $17,135 Accident 41 43 64 Chase Austin HomeLife Communities Dodge 86 40 $17,095 Accident 42 29 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 47 37 $19,945 Parked 43 21 72 D.J. Kennington NPPL/Vector Dodge 44 34 $16,960 Handling Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 36,500 – David Reutimann won the Sam’s Town 250, his first NASCAR Busch Series victory. Prior to the green flag the following driver(s) dropped to the rear: #6 Ragan, #20 Yeley, #26 McMurray, #60 Edwards (driver change). Failed to Qualify: (6) 01 Kertus Davis, 54 Carl Long, 89 Morgan Shepherd, 12 Marc Mitchell, 44 Mike Harmon, 52 Chris Lawson. Time of Race: 03 Hrs, 02 Mins, 12 Secs. Average Speed: 62.487 MPH Margin of Victory: 0.735 Seconds Caution Flags: 25 for 117 laps: Laps: 9-15 (#72 accident frontstretch); 17-20 (#35,14 accident turn 2); 40-44 (#41 spun turn 4); 46-51 (#14 accident backstretch); 53-55 (#71 spun turn 3); 61-64 (#37 spun frontstretch); 75-78 (#40 accident turn 4); 81-84 (#64 spun turn 2); 87-89 (#64 accident turn 3); 94-98 (#9, 71 accident backstretch); 101-103 (#36, 77 accident turn 3); 105-108 (#66 accident turn 3); 110-113 (#5 accident turn 2); 119-124 (#27 accident backstretch); 130-140 (#71, 49, 60, 1 accident frontstretch , Red Flag (11 min. 38 sec.)); 147-150 (#47 spun turn 2); 162-169 (debris turn 4); 177-181 (#7 spun turn 4); 184-188 (#43 spun turn 4); 192-198 (#77 accident turn 4); 201-204 (#37, 42 accident turn 4); 209-211 (#21 spun turn 4); 221-223 (#16, 43 accident turn 4); 235-237 (#66 spun turn 3); 250-251 (#10 spun turn 4). Lead Changes: 9 among 6 drivers: M. Ambrose # (Pole); D. Reutimann 1-39; J. Keller 40; R. Young 41-44; D. Reutimann 45-118; M. Bliss 119; S. Leicht 120-146; M. Ambrose # 147-166; J. Keller 167-172; D. Reutimann 173-253. Checkers/Rally’s Double Drive-Thru Challenge: David Reutimann, #99 95.620 sec. Featherlite “Most Improved Driver: Marcos Ambrose, #59 (36 Places) Raybestos “Rookie of the Race: David Ragan, #6 Sunoco Diamond Performance : David Reutimann, #99 WIX Filters “Lap Leader : David Reutimann, #99 (194 Laps)
- Edwards Comes up Short for Clinching Championship at Memphis: Carl Edwards’ championship celebration will have to wait another week as he leaves Memphis with a 531 point lead over David Reutimann. Jason Leffer moved to third in the point standings over Kevin Harvick. David Ragan remains in fifth.(10-27-2007)
Points Report
Memphis Motorsports Park
Sam’s Town 250
UNOFFICAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Saturday, 10/27/2007 @ 8:14 PM EasternPos Driver Points Ldr 1. Carl Edwards 4364 0 2. David Reutimann 3833 -531 3. Jason Leffler 3606 -758 4. Kevin Harvick 3523 -841 5. David Ragan # 3464 -900 6. Bobby Hamilton Jr. 3313 -1051 7. Stephen Leicht 3203 -1161 8. Marcos Ambrose # 3152 -1212 9. Greg Biffle 3136 -1228 10. Mike Wallace 3083 -1281 11. Matt Kenseth 2981 -1383 12. Scott Wimmer 2907 -1457 13. Denny Hamlin 2841 -1523 14. Clint Bowyer 2801 -1563 15. Jeff Burton 2665 -1699 16. J.J. Yeley 2652 -1712 17. Kyle Busch 2573 -1791 18. Kyle Krisiloff # 2552 -1812 19. Steve Wallace 2545 -1819 20. Casey Mears 2418 -1946 21. Mike Bliss 2413 -1951 22. Dave Blaney 2401 -1963 23. Brent Sherman 2373 -1991 24. Jamie McMurray 2087 -2277 25. Jason Keller 1972 -2392 26. Kasey Kahne 1956 -2408 27. Brad Keselowski # 1930 -2434 28. Reed Sorenson 1881 -2483 29. Bobby Labonte 1853 -2511 30. Aric Almirola 1850 -2514 31. Regan Smith 1820 -2544 32. Shane Huffman 1727 -2637 33. Juan Pablo Montoya 1689 -2675 34. Todd Kluever 1687 -2677 35. Brad Coleman # 1680 -2684 36. David Gilliland 1597 -2767 37. Eric McClure 1596 -2768 38. Tony Stewart 1567 -2797 39. Ward Burton 1555 -2809 40. David Stremme 1554 -2810 41. Kelly Bires 1514 -2850 42. Paul Menard 1208 -3156 43. Stanton Barrett 1163 -3201 44. Jon Wood 1154 -3210 45. Robert Richardson Jr. # 1024 -3340 46. Richard Johns 996 -3368 47. Danny O’quinn 952 -3412 48. Robby Gordon 903 -3461 49. Ryan Newman 851 -3513 50. Kevin Hamlin 748 -3616 51. Morgan Shepherd 738 -3626 52. Bobby East 734 -3630 53. Brian Vickers 714 -3650 54. D.J. Kennington 685 -3679 55. Dale Earnhardt, Jr 668 -3696 56. Cale Gale 658 -3706 57. Todd Bodine 655 -3709 58. Timothy Peters 646 -3718 59. Chase Miller 642 -3722 60. Tim McCreadie 600 -3764 61. Johnny Sauter 587 -3777 62. Mark Green 577 -3787 63. Mark Martin 573 -3791 64. Kurt Busch 527 -3837 65. Brett Rowe 524 -3840 66. Kevin Conway 523 -3841 67. Justin Diercks 505 -3859 68. Kertus Davis 504 -3860 69. Tony Raines 500 -3864 70. Ron Hornaday, Jr 481 -3883 71. Scott Riggs 460 -3904 72. Sam Hornish, Jr 456 -3908 73. Boris Said 452 -3912 74. Landon Cassill 449 -3915 75. A J Allmendinger 449 -3915 76. Derrike Cope 440 -3924 77. Scott Pruett 395 -3969 78. Jimmie Johnson 387 -3977 79. Jay Sauter 376 -3988 80. Martin Truex, Jr 370 -3994 81. Bryan Clauson 364 -4000 82. Ron Fellows 328 -4036 83. Casey Atwood 327 -4037 84. Kevin Lepage 306 -4058 85. Mike Harmon 301 -4063 86. Joe Nemechek 300 -4064 87. Jorge Goeters 297 -4067 88. Brad Teague 295 -4069 89. David Green 294 -4070 90. Brian Keselowski 292 -4072 91. John Graham 286 -4078 92. Ron Young 260 -4104 93. Patrick Carpentier 256 -4108 94. Jeff Green 255 -4109 95. Andy Pilgrim 236 -4128 96. Bobby Santos 235 -4129 97. Donnie Neuenberger 228 -4136 98. Andy Lally 210 -4154 99. Alex Garcia 210 -4154 100. Max Papis 205 -4159 101. Sterling Marlin 203 -4161 102. Michel Jourdain 203 -4161 103. Frank Kreyer 189 -4175 104. Chris Horn 174 -4190 105. Travis Kvapil 170 -4194 106. Jerick Johnson 157 -4207 107. Marc Mitchell 155 -4209 108. Kenny Wallace 146 -4218 109. Brad Baker 140 -4224 110. Adrian Fernandez 138 -4226 111. Johnny Benson 138 -4226 112. Jeremy Clements 137 -4227 113. Shelby Howard 137 -4227 114. Justin Ashburn 134 -4230 115. Trevor Boys 134 -4230 116. Niclas Jonsson 132 -4232 117. Danny Efland 132 -4232 118. Blake Bjorklund 131 -4233 119. Elliott Sadler 121 -4243 120. Scott Lagasse 119 -4245 121. Travis Kittleson 112 -4252 122. Josh Wise 106 -4258 123. Carl Long 104 -4260 124. J R Fitzpatrick 98 -4266 125. Brian Simo 97 -4267 126. Carlos Contreras 97 -4267 127. Todd Souza 94 -4270 128. Dale Jarrett 94 -4270 129. P J Jones 91 -4273 130. Scott Gaylord 89 -4275 131. Steve Grissom 88 -4276 132. Kerry Earnhardt 88 -4276 133. German Quiroga 84 -4280 134. Rogelio Lopez 76 -4288 135. Colin Braun 73 -4291 136. Dario Franchitti 67 -4297 137. Mike Mackenzie 64 -4300 138. Deac McCaskill 63 -4301 139. Michael Valiante 61 -4303 140. A J Frank 52 -4312 141. Ian Henderson 52 -4312 142. Brandon Miller 52 -4312 143. Dange Hanniford 49 -4315 144. Larry Foyt 49 -4315 145. Jeff Fuller 49 -4315 146. John Andretti 46 -4318 147. John Young 46 -4318 148. Matt Carter 46 -4318 149. Jamie Mosley 43 -4321 150. Joe Fox 40 -4324 151. Eddie Macdonald 40 -4324 152. Chase Austin 40 -4324 153. Caleb Holman 37 -4327 154. Mike Potter 37 -4327 155. John Borneman 37 -4327 156. Randy Macdonald 34 -4330 157. Michael Waltrip 34 -4330 158. Jason White 0 -4364 159. Ruben Pardo 0 -4364 160. Tono Perez 0 -4364
- Owner Standings: Richard Childress continues to lead the owners points over Joe Gibbs. Jack Roush remains in 3rd.(10-27-2007)
Owner Points Following Race # 32
Memphis Motorsports Park
Sam’s Town 250
UNOFFICIAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Saturday, 10/27/2007 @ 7:59 PM EasternPos Owner Car # Points Ldr 1 Richard Childress 29 4,606 0 2 Joe Gibbs 20 4,470 -136 3 Jack Roush 60 4,364 -242 4 Richard Childress 21 4,246 -360 5 Michael Waltrip 99 3,833 -773 6 Ray Evernham 9 3,694 -912 7 Delana Harvick 33 3,664 -942 8 Armando Fitz 22 3,632 -974 9 Todd Braun 38 3,606 -1,000 10 Jack Roush 6 3,464 -1,142 11 Gregory Pollex 10 3,419 -1,187 12 Delana Harvick 77 3,416 -1,190 13 Jack Roush 17 3,363 -1,243 14 Rick Hendrick 5 3,356 -1,250 15 Jack Roush 16 3,342 -1,264 16 Gary Weisbaum 35 3,313 -1,293 17 Chip Ganassi 41 3,295 -1,311 18 Dale Earnhardt, Jr 88 3,275 -1,331 19 Robert Yates 90 3,203 -1,403 20 Tad Geschickter 59 3,152 -1,454 21 Floyd Ganassi 42 3,132 -1,474 22 Clarence Brewer 37 3,111 -1,495 23 Tammy Brewer 27 3,102 -1,504 24 Joe Gibbs 18 3,095 -1,511 25 James Finch 1 3,090 -1,516 26 James Finch 7 3,083 -1,523 27 Jodi Geschickter 47 2,948 -1,658 28 Richard Childress 2 2,707 -1,899 29 Edward Rensi 25 2,678 -1,928 30 Rusty Wallace 66 2,633 -1,973 31 Gregory Pollex 14 2,552 -2,054 32 Rick Hendrick 24 2,544 -2,062 33 John McGill 36 2,410 -2,196 34 Joe Custer 28 2,387 -2,219 35 Keith Duesenberg 0 1,894 -2,712 36 Bobby Ginn 4 1,820 -2,786 37 Roger Penske 12 1,686 -2,920 38 Jack Roush 26 1,607 -2,999 39 Bryan Mullet 11 1,438 -3,168 40 Teresa Earnhardt 15 1,208 -3,398 41 Stanton Barrett 30 1,190 -3,416 42 Mary Louise Miller 170 1,107 -3,499 43 John McNelly 56 918 -3,688 44 Jimmy Means 52 906 -3,700 45 Johnny Davis 01 829 -3,777 46 Pat MacDonald 72 827 -3,779 47 Keith Coleman 23 758 -3,848 48 Teresa Earnhardt 8 722 -3,884 49 Cindy Shepherd 89 717 -3,889 50 Robby Gordon 155 695 -3,911 51 Frank Cicci 34 592 -4,014 52 Wayne Day 05 531 -4,075 53 Steve Germain 103 505 -4,101 54 Bill Riley 91 431 -4,175 55 Donnie Richardson 44 416 -4,190 56 Rick Hendrick 148 387 -4,219 57 Todd Braun 32 353 -4,253 58 Andrea Nemechek 87 300 -4,306 59 Dusty Whitney 49 292 -4,314 60 Jerry Young 71 291 -4,315 61 Jack Roush 106 282 -4,324 62 Alex Garcia 298 235 -4,371 63 Fred Horn 158 205 -4,401 64 Teresa Earnhardt 111 195 -4,411 65 James Rowe 273 186 -4,420 66 Gina MacDonald 271 174 -4,432 67 Roger Penske 139 170 -4,436 68 Jack Johnson 176 157 -4,449 69 Susan Spraker 163 152 -4,454 70 Jay Robinson 149 139 -4,467 71 Charles Fridell, Jr 54 132 -4,474 72 Eddie D’hondt 192 98 -4,508 73 Kelly Souza 113 94 -4,512 74 Michael Waltrip 344 94 -4,512 75 Armando Fitz 144 80 -4,526 76 Tom Eriksen 167 76 -4,530 77 Chris Lencheski 130 70 -4,536 78 Lori Morgan 200 68 -4,538 79 Mike Curb 43 55 -4,551 80 Stanton Barrett 231 49 -4,557 81 Doug Taylor 40 46 -4,560 82 John Young 146 46 -4,560 83 Rusty Wallace 64 40 -4,566 84 Charles Henderson 175 37 -4,569 85 Robert Richardson 180 31 -4,575 86 Jeff Barrister 250 31 -4,575 87 Jim Braddock 254 31 -4,575 88 J L Pennington 208 25 -4,581 89 Brian Carter 161 25 -4,581 90 Earl Sadler 195 22 -4,584
- Ambrose on Pole in Memphis: #47-Marcos Ambrose grabbed his first career pole for the Sam’s Town 250 at Memphis with a qualifying speed of 117.899mph. #99-David Reutimann will start second. The rest of the top-10: #42-Dario Franchitti (making his Busch debut), #38 Jason Leffler, #11 Jason Keller, #18 Brad Coleman, #Sterling Marlin, #43 Bobby East, #30 Stanton Barrett, #20-Casey Atwood (filling in for J.J. Yeley). Not making the race were #01-Kertus Davis, #54-Carl Long, #89-Morgan Shepherd, #12-Marc Mitchell, #44-Mike Harmon, and #52-Chris Lawson.(10-27-2007)
Starting Line Up by Row
Memphis Motorsports Park
Sam’s Town 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Sat, October 27, 2007 @ 01:02 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed 1 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Bush’s Ford 22.901 117.899 2 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 22.933 117.734 3 42 Dario Franchitti Target Dodge 23.013 117.325 4 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips/Comcast Toyota 23.063 117.071 5 11 Jason Keller InvestLinc Chevy 23.089 116.939 6 18 Brad Coleman # Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 23.103 116.868 7 1 Sterling Marlin Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 23.118 116.792 8 43 Bobby East Kick Butt Amped Energy Ballz Ford 23.128 116.742 9 30 Stanton Barrett Phytter Phone/Interush Chevy 23.143 116.666 10 20 Casey Atwood FedEx Express Chevy 23.156 116.600 11 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 23.157 116.595 12 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy 23.163 116.565 13 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 23.185 116.455 14 26 Kenny Wallace Dish Network Ford 23.188 116.440 15 16 Colin Braun 3M Ford 23.219 116.284 16 22 Mike Bliss SuperCuts Dodge 23.236 116.199 17 47 Kelly Bires Clorox/American Red Cross Ford 23.285 115.954 18 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 23.313 115.815 19 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 23.319 115.785 20 5 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 23.329 115.736 21 72 D.J. Kennington NPPL/Vector Dodge 23.331 115.726 22 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 23.339 115.686 23 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 23.346 115.652 24 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 23.346 115.652 25 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 23.390 115.434 26 6 Auggie Vidovich Discount Tire Ford 23.399 115.390 27 71 Ron Young Chevy 23.408 115.345 28 77 Brandon Miller Dollar General Chevy 23.438 115.198 29 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 23.439 115.193 30 56 Danny O’Quinn Power Equipment Chevy 23.451 115.134 31 40 Matt Carter Milio’s Sandwiches Delivers Ford 23.457 115.104 32 10 Brent Sherman Fan1st.com Toyota 23.463 115.075 33 05 Brett Rowe Spectra Metals/31-W Insulation Chevy 23.482 114.982 34 0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 23.509 114.850 35 27 Brad Baker Viva Ford 23.529 114.752 36 49 Brian Keselowski Halloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 23.567 114.567 37 21 Tim McCreadie AutoZone Chevy 23.645 114.189 38 9 Chase Miller Dodge Dealers Dodge 23.730 113.780 39 60 Matt McCall Scott’s Winterguard Ford 23.823 113.336 40 36 Jeremy Clements St. Judes Children’s Hospital Research Owner Points 41 37 John Graham Kick Butt Energy Ballz/GNC Ford Owner Points 42 28 Robert Richardson Jr. # Checkers/Rally’s/U.S. Border Patrol Owner Points 43 64 Chase Austin HomeLife Communities Dodge 23.607 114.373 - Wallace Paces Happy Hour: #66-Steve Wallace was the fastest in the final practice session for the Sam’s Town 250 with a speed of 118.234 mph. Rounding out the top ten were #38-Jason Leffler, #11-Jason Keller, #42-Dario Franchitti, #88-Brad Keselowski, #99-Mark Green [for David Reutimann], #59-Marcos Ambrose, #29-Scott Wimmer, #9-Chase Miller, #77-Brandon Miller. Slowest were #0-Eric McClure, #52-Chris Lawson. There were 49 cars on track for the final session.(10-26-2007)
NBS Final Practice (HAPPY HOUR)
Memphis Motorsports Park
Sam’s Town 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, October 26, 2007 @ 06:32 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 22.836 118.234 22 2 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips/Comcast Toyota 22.875 118.033 33 3 *11 Jason Keller InvestLinc Chevy 22.890 117.955 41 4 42 Dario Franchitti Target Dodge 23.005 117.366 22 5 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 23.018 117.300 44 6 99 Mark Green Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 23.042 117.177 15 7 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Bush’s Ford 23.065 117.060 22 8 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy 23.155 116.605 30 9 9 Chase Miller Dodge Dealers Dodge 23.159 116.585 36 10 77 Brandon Miller Dollar General Chevy 23.172 116.520 18 11 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 23.172 116.520 37 12 18 Brad Coleman Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 23.174 116.510 34 13 22 Mike Bliss SuperCuts Dodge 23.178 116.490 39 14 *71 Ron Young Jerry Young Chevy 23.180 116.480 23 15 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 23.183 116.465 35 16 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 23.233 116.214 35 17 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 23.249 116.134 31 18 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 23.260 116.079 44 19 16 Colin Braun 3M Ford 23.263 116.064 24 20 20 Casey Atwood FedEx Express Chevy 23.301 115.875 32 21 *49 Brian Keselowski Halloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 23.301 115.875 13 22 36 Jeremy Clements St. Judes Children’s Hospital Research 23.306 115.850 18 23 47 Kelly Bires Clorox/American Red Cross Ford 23.307 115.845 33 24 *12 Marc Mitchell Ergon Inc. Chevy 23.312 115.820 23 25 *40 Matt Carter Specialty Racing Ford 23.328 115.741 28 26 *26 Kenny Wallace Dish Network Ford 23.379 115.488 37 27 *64 Chase Austin HomeLife Communities Dodge 23.395 115.409 41 28 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 23.409 115.340 32 29 10 Brent Sherman Fan1st.com Toyota 23.415 115.311 26 30 21 Tim McCreadie AutoZone Chevy 23.421 115.281 34 31 1 Sterling Marlin Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 23.424 115.266 29 32 *5 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 23.428 115.247 8 33 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 23.462 115.080 12 34 6 Auggie Vidovich Discount Tire Ford 23.494 114.923 22 35 *56 Danny O’Quinn Power Equipment Chevy 23.494 114.923 28 36 27 Brad Baker Viva Ford 23.618 114.320 39 37 *43 Bobby East Kick Butt Amped Energy Ballz Ford 23.678 114.030 22 38 *72 D.J. Kennington NPPL/Vector Dodge 23.712 113.866 27 39 *54 Carl Long Millstar Dodge 23.761 113.632 26 40 *05 Brett Rowe Spectra Metals/31-W Insulation Chevy 23.794 113.474 12 41 60 Matt McCall Scott’s Winterguard Ford 23.852 113.198 29 42 *01 Kertus Davis RaceGirl Chevy 23.893 113.004 20 43 *30 Stanton Barrett Phytter Phone/Interush Chevy 23.900 112.971 12 44 *89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Dodge 23.908 112.933 21 45 37 John Graham Kick Butt Energy Ballz/GNC Ford 23.981 112.589 24 46 28 Robert Richardson Jr. Checkers/Rally’s/U.S. Border Patrol 23.985 112.570 22 47 *44 Mike Harmon StoneBridge Construction Chevy 24.181 111.658 10 48 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 24.292 111.148 18 49 *52 Chris Lawson Jimmy Means Ford 24.737 109.148 7 *Required to qualify on time
NBS Rookie Practice
Memphis Motorsports Park
Sam’s Town 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, October 26, 2007 @ 05:30 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 *64 Chase Austin HomeLife Communities Dodge 23.169 116.535 19 2 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 23.205 116.354 29 3 21 Tim McCreadie AutoZone Chevy 23.220 116.279 29 4 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 23.301 115.875 16 5 42 Dario Franchitti Target Dodge 23.331 115.726 5 6 18 Brad Coleman Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 23.334 115.711 19 7 47 Kelly Bires Clorox/American Red Cross Ford 23.341 115.676 9 8 *12 Marc Mitchell Ergon Inc. Chevy 23.388 115.444 10 9 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 23.409 115.340 23 10 16 Colin Braun 3M Ford 23.449 115.144 25 11 *5 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 23.480 114.991 17 12 36 Jeremy Clements St. Judes Children’s Hospital Research 23.668 114.078 19 13 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 23.671 114.064 30 14 9 Chase Miller Dodge Dealers Dodge 23.673 114.054 31 15 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Bush’s Ford 23.676 114.040 21 16 *49 Brian Keselowski Halloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 23.809 113.402 15 17 *40 Matt Carter Specialty Racing Ford 23.912 112.914 11 18 *52 Chris Lawson Jimmy Means Ford 23.967 112.655 7 19 28 Robert Richardson Jr. Checkers/Rally’s/U.S. BP Chevy 24.131 111.889 20 20 *05 Brett Rowe Spectra Metals/31-W Insulation Chevy 25.470 106.007 3 *Required to qualify on time
- Miller quickest in first practice: #77-Brandon Miller was the quickest in the first practice session at Memphis Motorsports Park with a speed of 117.499 followed by #38-Jason Leffler, #20-Casey Atwood [for JJ Yeley], #22-Mike Bliss, #99-Mark Green [for David Reutimann], #42-Dario Franchitti, #88-Brad Keselowski, #35-Bobby Hamilton Jr., #11-Jason Keller and #26-Kenny Wallace [for Jamie McMurray]. Slowest were #52-Chris Lawson, #0-Eric McClure. There were 49 cars on track for the first session.(10-26-2007)
NBS Practice 1
Memphis Motorsports Park
Sam’s Town 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, October 26, 2007 @ 04:32 PM EasternPos Car Driver Team Time Speed # Laps 1 77 Brandon Miller Dollar General Chevy 22.979 117.499 20 2 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips/Comcast Toyota 23.004 117.371 28 3 20 Casey Atwood FedEx Express Chevy 23.035 117.213 28 4 22 Mike Bliss SuperCuts Dodge 23.036 117.208 15 5 99 Mark Green Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 23.097 116.898 26 6 42 Dario Franchitti Target Dodge 23.123 116.767 47 7 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy 23.159 116.585 35 8 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford 23.163 116.565 37 9 *11 Jason Keller InvestLinc Chevy 23.185 116.455 29 10 *26 Kenny Wallace Dish Network Ford 23.202 116.369 35 11 18 Brad Coleman Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy 23.211 116.324 40 12 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford 23.212 116.319 31 13 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy 23.240 116.179 36 14 1 Sterling Marlin Miccosukee Resorts Chevy 23.290 115.930 26 15 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Bush’s Ford 23.296 115.900 39 16 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy 23.312 115.820 36 17 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge 23.316 115.800 56 18 *12 Marc Mitchell Ergon Inc. Chevy 23.347 115.647 27 19 6 Auggie Vidovich Discount Tire Ford 23.355 115.607 33 20 *71 Ron Young Jerry Young Chevy 23.359 115.587 32 21 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford 23.371 115.528 34 22 *5 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy 23.397 115.399 29 23 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge 23.399 115.390 36 24 47 Kelly Bires Clorox/American Red Cross Ford 23.444 115.168 36 25 37 John Graham Kick Butt Energy Ballz/GNC Ford 23.444 115.168 43 26 9 Chase Miller Dodge Dealers Dodge 23.470 115.040 47 27 10 Brent Sherman Fan1st.com Toyota 23.473 115.026 37 28 *43 Bobby East Kick Butt Amped Energy Ballz Ford 23.492 114.933 48 29 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford 23.496 114.913 37 30 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy 23.501 114.889 24 31 *49 Brian Keselowski Halloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge 23.528 114.757 30 32 16 Colin Braun 3M Ford 23.562 114.591 40 33 *89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Dodge 23.564 114.582 11 34 *40 Matt Carter Specialty Racing Ford 23.569 114.557 24 35 21 Tim McCreadie AutoZone Chevy 23.583 114.489 50 36 60 Matt McCall Scott’s Winterguard Ford 23.594 114.436 39 37 *64 Chase Austin HomeLife Communities Dodge 23.616 114.329 49 38 *01 Kertus Davis RaceGirl Chevy 23.712 113.866 17 39 *54 Carl Long Millstar Dodge 23.713 113.862 31 40 36 Jeremy Clements St. Judes Children’s Hospital Research 23.730 113.780 35 41 *56 Danny O’Quinn Power Equipment Chevy 23.735 113.756 27 42 *44 Mike Harmon StoneBridge Construction Chevy 23.772 113.579 19 43 27 Brad Baker Viva Ford 23.773 113.574 36 44 *30 Stanton Barrett Phytter Phone/Interush Chevy 23.804 113.426 17 45 *05 Brett Rowe Spectra Metals/31-W Insulation Chevy 23.855 113.184 39 46 *72 D.J. Kennington NPPL/Vector Dodge 24.038 112.322 39 47 28 Robert Richardson Jr. Checkers/Rally’s/U.S. BP Chevy 24.073 112.159 34 48 *52 Chris Lawson Jimmy Means Ford 24.141 111.843 14 49 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy 24.352 110.874 23 *Required to qualify on time
- Memphis Entry List: UDPATE: There are 49 entries on the preliminary Sam’s Town 300 entry list.(10-26-2007)
UPDATE: A couple updates to the list, Sterling Marlin will be in the #1 (Yeley was originally listed). J.J. Yeley will be in the #20 (Denny Hamlin was originally listed).(10-23-2007)
UPDATE: Chris Lawson will be in the #52. Brad Teague was originally listed.(10-25-2007)Entry List – Numerical
Memphis Motorsports Park
Sam’s Town 250
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Fri, October 26, 2007 @ 01:53 PM EasternEnt. Car Driver Team Name Owner 1 *0 Eric McClure Hefty Chevy Keith Duesenberg 2 *01 Kertus Davis RaceGirl Chevy Johnny Davis 3 1 Sterling Marlin Miccosukee Resorts Chevy James Finch 4 *05 Brett Rowe Spectra Metals/31-W Insulation Chevy Wayne Day 5 *5 Landon Cassill National Guard Chevy Rick Hendrick 6 6 David Ragan # Discount Tire Ford Jack Roush 7 7 Mike Wallace GEICO Chevy James Finch 8 9 Chase Miller Dodge Dealers Dodge Ray Evernham 9 10 Brent Sherman Fan1st.com Toyota Greg Pollex 10 *11 Jason Keller IvestLinc Chevy Bryan Mullet 11 *12 Marc Mitchell Ergon Inc. Chevy Roger Penske 12 14 Kyle Krisiloff # Lilly/Walgreens Ford Greg Pollex 13 16 Colin Braun 3M Ford Jack Roush 14 18 Brad Coleman Carino’s Italian Grill Chevy Joe Gibbs 15 20 J.J. Yeley FedEx Express Chevy Joe Gibbs 16 21 Tim McCreadie AutoZone Chevy Richard Childress 17 22 Mike Bliss SuperCuts Dodge Armando Fitz 18 25 Richard Johns freecreditreport.com Ford Ed Rensi 19 *26 Jamie McMurray Dish Network Ford Jack Roush 20 27 Brad Baker Viva Ford Tammy Brewer 21 28 Robert Richardson Jr. # Checkers/Rally’s/U.S. BP Chevy Joe Custer 22 29 Scott Wimmer Holiday Inn Chevy Richard Childress 23 *30 Stanton Barrett Phytter Phone/Interush Chevy Stanton Barrett 24 33 Cale Gale Camping World Chevy Delana Harvick 25 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. McDonald’s Ford Gary Weisbaum 26 36 Jeremy Clements St. Judes Children’s Hospital Research John McGill 27 37 John Graham Kick Butt Energy Ballz/GNC Ford Clarence Brewer 28 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips/Concast Toyota Todd Braun 29 *40 Matt Carter Specialty Racing Ford Doug Taylor 30 41 Bryan Clauson Memorex Dodge Chip Ganassi 31 42 Dario Franchitti Target Dodge Floyd Ganassi 32 *43 Bobby East Kick Butt Amped Energy Ballz Ford Mike Curb 33 *44 Mike Harmon StoneBridge Construction Chevy Donnie Richardson 34 47 Kelly Bires Clorox/American Red Cross Ford Jodi Geschickter 35 *49 Brian Keselowski Halloway/Dusty’s Collision Dodge Dusty Whitney 36 *52 Chris Lawson Jimmy Means Ford Jimmy Means 37 *54 Carl Long Millstar Dodge Charles Fridell 38 *56 Danny O’Quinn Power Equipment Chevy John McNelly 39 59 Marcos Ambrose # Kingsford/Bush’s Ford Tad Geschickter 40 60 Carl Edwards Scott’s Winterguard Ford Jack Roush 41 *64 Chase Austin HomeLife Communities Dodge Rusty Wallace 42 66 Steve Wallace HomeLife Communities Dodge Rusty Wallace 43 *71 Ron Young Jerry Young Chevy Jerry Young 44 *72 D.J. Kennington NPPL/Vector Dodge Pat MacDonald 45 77 Brandon Miller Dollar General Chevy Delana Harvick 46 88 Brad Keselowski # U.S. NAVY Chevy Dale Earnhardt Jr. 47 *89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Dodge Cindy Shepherd 48 90 Stephen Leicht citifinancial Ford Robert Yates 49 99 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Michael Waltrip - NASCAR News & Notes: NASCAR’s weekly series race preview is posted on the Memphis Race Page.(10-23-2007)
* Required to qualify on time
NASCAR Busch Series News And Notes – Memphis
In the city where blues is king, Memphis Motorsports Park is quickly becoming known as the track where NASCAR Busch Series debuts are all the rage.
Led by reigning Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti (#42 Target Dodge) and 18-year-old Chase Austin (#64 HomeLife Communities Dodge), Saturday’s field at Memphis is again dotted by some high-profile drivers attempting to make their series debuts.
Last year, another open-wheel superstar, Juan Pablo Montoya, was in the debut spotlight along with Tim Schendel who was fresh off his victory in the Elite Division at the Toyota All-Star Showdown.
Austin, who turned 18 less than a month ago, will attempt to become only the second driver of African-American descent to compete in the NASCAR Busch Series (Bill Lester was the first in 1999). A teammate of Steve Wallace (#66 HomeLife Communities Dodge), Austin – a competitor in the NASCAR Grand National Division Busch East Series this year – will have to qualify on time.
Additionally, Colin Braun (pronounced “Brown”) looks to make his much-anticipated series debut in the #16 3M Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. Like Franchitti, the 19-year-old Braun – a Grand-Am Series “veteran” – made his NASCAR national series debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series last weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
In all, there are 14 drivers age 23 or under entered at Memphis and along with Austin and Braun, there are three other teenagers in the event: 18-year-old Bryan Clauson (#41 Memorex Dodge) who is the experienced series driver on the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates team with Franchitti (four starts); 18-year-old Landon Cassill (#24 National Guard Chevy) and 19-year-old Brad Coleman (#18 Carino’s Chevy). All three will be making their track debuts at Memphis.
Teams Participate In St. Jude’s “Design A Dream” Event At Memphis
Young patients at Memphis-based St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital will literally have a hand in this weekend’s race at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Sixteen cars in the race will carry paint schemes designed by the children. The original “Design a Dream” idea was circulated in the media and received support from St. Jude’s and the track. It will come to fruition in the form of colorful and whimsical takes on each participating team’s normal paint scheme.
Some drivers will visit the hospital on Thursday and enjoy lunch with the children. A few patients will, in turn, come to the track on Saturday and participate in the singing of the National Anthem with the popular country group Diamond Rio.
“This is a great way to help bring awareness and give the kids a chance to be creative on a large scale,” said Jason Keller (#11 InvestLinc Chevy).
In The Loop: Edwards’ Stats Say Probable Clinch At Memphis; Yeley A Factor Driving #20 Chevy
Carl Edwards (#60 Scotts Winterguard Ford) is in a comfortable spot right now.
After the checkered flag flies this weekend at Memphis, Edwards needs to lead David Reutimann (#99 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) by 585 points to clinch the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship.
Currently, Edwards is 638 points ahead of Reutimann, meaning Edwards can lose 53 points and still hoist the championship trophy. An eighth-place finish or better for Edwards would also clinch the title.
Considering Edwards’ past at Memphis, losing points doesn’t seem likely.
He’s been stellar there, finishing in the top five in both his visits. Edwards finished fifth and third in 2005 and ‘06, respectively.
His statistics there are obviously solid. He has a Driver Rating of 106.8, an Average Running Position of 11.3, 36 Fastest Laps Run and of the 506 laps run at Memphis over the two races, he has spent 78.3% of them in the top 15.
Reutimann has run at Memphis in the NASCAR Busch Series only once, posting a 12th-place finish in 2002.
Another battle to watch is for the owner’s championship – and the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy could make a hard charge this weekend. J.J. Yeley, a Memphis master, will pilot the #20 FedEx Chevy this weekend and try to chip away at the 116-point lead the #29 Richard Childress Chevy now owns.
Of those competing this weekend, Yeley holds the top statistics in most categories. With finishes of second and 10th in 2005 and ‘06, he has a Driver Rating of 108.7, an Average Running Position of 8.0, and has run 85.6% of the total laps in the top 15. All those numbers are best of any driver in Saturday’s race.
Scott Wimmer, who will drive the #29 Holiday Inn Chevy this weekend, will have to shake off some Memphis rust. He has not raced at the Tennessee short track since 2003, but does have strong finishes there. Wimmer won at Memphis in 2002 and notched three consecutive top 10s from 2001-03.
NBS, Etc.
• Memphis Debuts, Part II: Four drivers entered in Saturday’s race also carry over from the “Debut City” theme for Memphis. Scott Wimmer and Jamie McMurray (#26 Dish Network Ford) made their series debuts in this race in 2000, while Steve Wallace and Stephen Leicht (#90 CitiFinancial Ford) did the same in 2005. David Reutimann captured his first – and to date, only – Busch Pole at Memphis in 2003.
• Double-Duty Doubles: Five double-duty drivers will venture to and from Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Sam’s Town 250 and Sunday’s NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Pep Boys Auto 500. Each has a substitute driver ready at Memphis who will be available to practice and qualify their car if necessary – Kenny Wallace will sub for Jamie McMurray; Matt McCall is in for Carl Edwards; Auggie Vidovich is on standby for David Ragan (#6 Discount Tire Ford); Mark Green is on call for David Reutimann and Casey Atwood will sub for J.J. Yeley.
• Leffler Set For 150th Start: Jason Leffler (#38 Great Clips Toyota), currently fourth in the series driver standings, looks to make his 150th start in the NASCAR Busch Series at Memphis. Leffler made his series debut at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis in 1999 and has won two races and eight poles in the 148 races since. His car will carry a special decal commemorating his landmark start.
• Tickets For Elvis?: Brad Coleman returns to the track for the first time since racing at Dover International Speedway last month and will be making his next-to-last appearance for Joe Gibbs Racing since announcing last week he will move to Brewco Motorsports full-time in 2008. His final scheduled race for JGR is next week at Texas Motor Speedway. Coleman plans on having some fun while in Memphis – in addition to touring Graceland with an advance group of drivers including Scott Wimmer, Bryan Clauson, Jason Keller, Landon Cassill and Chase Austin Thursday – Coleman’s team will have an Elvis impersonator in the pits during the weekend.
• Helping Hand For “Shakes”: CitiFinancial sponsored a fundraiser Monday, Oct. 22 for Shane “Shakes” Hakes at Victory Lane Karting in Charlotte, N.C. The event raised more than $7,000 for Hakes’ family. Hakes, who most recently served as a tire specialist on the #90 crew after also spending time with KHI’s NASCAR Busch Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series teams in the same capacity, was critically injured in a motorcycle accident on July 15. As he continues to recover at WakeMed in Raleigh, N.C., the CitiFinancial racing crew and the #90 CitiFinancial Ford of Stephen Leicht will continue to carry the special “Racing for Shakes” logo.
• BB&T Back With Bowyer: Clint Bowyer will be back with sponsor BB&T for the 2008 season, the debut year for new series sponsor Nationwide Insurance. Bowyer, with two wins, 11 top fives and 16 top-10 finishes in 19 races this year, plans to contend for the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series championship next year. The sponsorship agreement extends through 2009. In his last full-time season in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2005, Bowyer finished second to Martin Truex Jr. in the championship by 68 points.
• Setting Different This Time For Keselowski: Four months ago at Memphis, Brad Keslelowski (#88 U.S. NAVY Chevy) turned in the performance that set the stage for his career rejuvenation. Subbing for the suspended Ted Musgrave in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on June 30, Keselowski won the pole and led 62 laps – including being in the lead before a spin with eight laps to go. He finished 16th but won a bigger prize when he was named to drive the #88 for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports program. Keselowski had been out of a ride prior to that time. “That run turned a lot of heads,” he said. “I had a lot of voicemails to sort through when I landed back in Charlotte after the race and one was from Dale Jr. Now it’s four months later and I’m coming back to Memphis with a full-time ride in the #88 Chevy.”
By The Numbers: Memphis Motorsports Park
- 2 – Most wins (Kevin Harvick)
- 3 – Most top fives (Jeff Green, Clint Bowyer, Harvick)
- 2 – Most Busch Poles (Green, Martin Truex Jr.)
- 2 – Races won from the pole (Green in 1999, Truex)
- 35th – Worst starting position of a winner (Bowyer, 2005)
- 4 – Number of NASCAR Busch Series champions who have also won at Memphis
2007 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
Driver Points
1. David Ragan 222
2. Marcos Ambrose 192
3. Kyle Krisiloff 177
4. Brad Keselowski 165
5. Juan Pablo Montoya 165
6. Brad Coleman 156
7. Robert Richardson Jr. 99
8. Justin Diercks 512007 NASCAR Busch Series Champions Week
ESPN2
ESPN2 continues its season-long coverage of the NASCAR Busch Series with live racing from Memphis Motorsports Park. The telecast of the 250-lap race begins at 3 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.
Marty Reid will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Memphis, with analysis by another two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion, Randy LaJoie. Rusty Wallace, the 1989 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion, will also offer analysis.
Pit reporters at Memphis will be Allen Bestwick, Shannon Spake and Vince Welch.
2007 At-A-Glance: NASCAR Busch Series Leaders After 31 Of 35 Races:
Season Traditional Statistics:
Driver points – Edwards (4,276)
Victories – Harvick (5)
Races led – Edwards (20)
Laps led – Ky. Busch (958)
Top-five finishes – Edwards (14)
Top-10 finishes – Edwards (19)
Owner points – Richard Childress Racing (#29) – (4,456)
Money Won – Edwards ($1,113,110)
Miles led – Ky. Busch (1,286.08)
Busch Poles – Hamlin (5)
Closest to 10th – Kenseth 10th (2,981 pts); 11th – M. Wallace -22
Consecutive Weeks in Top 10 – Edwards, Harvick (31)Season Loop Data Statistics:
Driver Rating – Edwards (107.2)
Average Running Position – Edwards (9.8)
Fastest Laps Run – Edwards (526 fastest laps)
Quality Passes – Edwards (943)
Laps In Top 15 – Edwards (4,700 of a possible 5,700)Chevy Has Strong History At Final Four Tracks
If history holds, Chevy – already the winner of the 2007 Bill France Performance Cup – can continue to build on its impressive season.
Chevy is the top manufacturer at three of the final four tracks remaining on the schedule, including Memphis Motorsports Park.
Chevy has won six races at Memphis and has been to Victory Lane in the last three events there. Kevin Harvick’s win last season was his second at Memphis, making him the only driver to have multiple victories at the track. His first in 2000 was also in a Chevy.
Ford is the only other active manufacturer with a win at Memphis. Tennessee native Bobby Hamilton Jr. (#35 McDonald’s Ford) won in a Ford in 2003.
Chevy also has a series-leading six wins at Texas and Homestead-Miami Speedway while Ford has six wins at Phoenix International Raceway.
Manufacturers’ Championship 2007 Point Standings
Chevy 237
Ford 182
Dodge 138
Toyota 125Up Next: O’Reilly Challenge At Texas Motor Speedway
The second and final visit of the 2007 season at Texas Motor Speedway is up next for the NASCAR Busch Series. The O’Reilly Challenge is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3 as part of three NASCAR races that weekend at the 1.5-mile track. ESPN2 will carry the race live beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series runs on Friday night while NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race is on Sunday afternoon.
Kevin Harvick has won the last two fall races at Texas and three overall tying him with Mark Martin for the series lead in victories there.
Matt Kenseth, who captured his first series win at Texas in 2003, won this past April. He’s the only driver other than Harvick and Martin with multiple victories at Texas.
David Ragan won his first career Busch Pole last April. Jeff Green, the 2000 series champion, leads all drivers with two poles.
No driver has won from the pole at Texas in the previous 13 races.
FAST FACTS
The Race: Sam’s Town 250
The Place: Memphis Motorsports Park
The Date: Oct. 27, 20071
The Time: 3:30 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN2, 3 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: .75-mile oval
Race Purse: $1,302,075
2006 Winner: Kevin Harvick
2006 Pole: Johnny Sauter2007 Point Standings
Pos. Driver Points
1 Edwards 4,276
2 Reutimann 3,638
3 Harvick 3,523
4 Leffler 3,451
5 Ragan 3,299
6 Hamilton Jr. 3,264
7 Biffle 3,136
8 Leicht 3,046
9 Ambrose 2,987
10 Kenseth 2,981Pre-Race Schedule:
Friday–Practice, 2-3 p.m.; Rookie Practice, 3:30-4 p.m.; Final Practice, 4-5 p.m. Saturday–Qualifying, 9:35 a.m. (impound).
- NASCAR News & Notes: NASCAR’s weekly series race preview is posted on the Memphis Race Page.(10-23-2007)
- Additional Memphis Busch Race Info at:
memphismotorsportspark.com
ESPN.com Busch page
TheHotLap.com
Catchfence.com Busch site
NASCAR.com